Vulnerability Description
liboqs is a C-language cryptographic library that provides implementations of post-quantum cryptography algorithms. Prior to 0.16.0, an out-of-bounds read has been identified in the XMSS and XMSS^MT stateful signature verification code. When the verification function is called with a correctly-sized signature buffer for the declared algorithm but a public key whose OID bytes (pk[0..3]) reference a different XMSS parameter set with a larger sig_bytes, the implementation re-parses the OID from the public key inside xmss_sign_open / xmssmt_sign_open and uses the resulting (larger) sig_bytes to index the caller-supplied signature buffer. As with CVE-2026-44518, the out-of-bounds bytes are consumed only as input to an internal hash computation and are not returned to the caller, so no oracle exists to leak their contents to an attacker. The primary observable effect is a possible crash (denial of service) of the verifying process if the read crosses into an unmapped memory page. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.16.0.
CVSS Score
MEDIUM
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Openquantumsafe | Liboqs | <= 0.15.0 |
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
- https://github.com/open-quantum-safe/liboqs/commit/077e32a94f39af02209dbbc680bf8Patch
- https://github.com/open-quantum-safe/liboqs/security/advisories/GHSA-2wxh-55qf-cPatchVendor Advisory
FAQ
What is CVE-2026-46344?
CVE-2026-46344 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.3 (MEDIUM). liboqs is a C-language cryptographic library that provides implementations of post-quantum cryptography algorithms. Prior to 0.16.0, an out-of-bounds read has been identified in the XMSS and XMSS^MT s...
How severe is CVE-2026-46344?
CVE-2026-46344 has been rated MEDIUM with a CVSS base score of 5.3/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-46344?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Affected products include: Openquantumsafe Liboqs.